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Interview of YA Author, Jessica Verdi

I first heard of Jessica Verdi on Netgalley when I requested her upcoming book,What You Left Behind. I found it intriguing and thought provoking and I’m thrilled to interview her on Writers’ Rumpus!

KC: You have written 3 YA novels. What is your process and how long does it usually take to complete a book?

Jessica Verdi: Thanks for having me on Writers’ Rumpus, Kirsti. I usually start writing with only a few plot points in mind, and see where the story takes me. Then, when I’m about halfway through (or so), I’ll stop to make an index card outline and try to structure the rest of the book in a more organized way. The length of time it takes me to finish a book varies greatly. The shortest it’s taken me to complete a solid first draft was about two and a half months. The longest was probably about a year.

KC: Do you have a writing schedule?

JV: Yes. Because I have a day job, I typically write on Saturday and Sundays. I start in the morning and try to get as much done as possible before my brain is fried, which usually happens in late afternoon.

KC: Each of your books addresses edgy topics. How do you choose what to write about?

JV: I sort of wait for the ideas to come to me, rather than the other way around. Ideas can come from anywhere! What You Left Behind was inspired by a newspaper article my husband sent me about a teen girl with cancer who was pregnant and whose parents didn’t allow her to abort her pregnancy in order to continue her cancer treatments. She died shortly after giving birth, and her boyfriend raised the baby.